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Top 10 Puzzlers We Want To Come To The Virtual Console

Following the series of Top 10 lists we've already done, we've made a selection of puzzle games we would like to see! It should be noted that there's a bunch of great puzzlers already on VC - The likes of Puyo Puyo, Adventures of Lolo, Wrecking Crew, Solomon's Key and Pokémon Puzzle League are all top-notch and very much worth a purchase. Still, here's 10 that would make great additions as well.

10. Wrecking Crew '98 (SNES)

When 2000 started getting close we were pretty sure we'd never see a Wrecking Crew sequel as it had already been 13 years - Nintendo proved us wrong and released (Sadly in Japan only) Wrecking Crew '98, which was a radical departure from the original game. Instead of being a game that requires careful thought, it's more like games such as Puyo Puyo - You have an opponent at all times, and your job is to make his blocks go off the top of the screen.

This is accomplished by matching up 3 or more blocks of the same colour, all of which do something special. For example, orange blocks will drop some iron blocks into your opponent's field, which are indestructible unless blown up with a bomb block, while green blocks will coat a few rows of your opponent's blocks with an extra layer of bricks, meaning he has to hit them twice to shatter them instead of once.

Wrecking Crew '98 (SNES)

There is an extra amount of strategy involved, as you can freely run around the playing field, breaking whatever you want and moving blocks around. If you can fully clear your side of the screen, you'll get a mushroom, which will enhance the next attack you launch.

Aside from a versus mode the game also has a tournament mode and a story mode. In the story mode you encounter various enemies (Both new and old) which you have to beat, resulting in cutscenes telling more of the story. You can also unlock additional characters for use outside story mode. Wrecking Crew '98 also includes the original Wrecking Crew - But if '98 ever hits VC we don't think they'll keep that in!

9. Kickle Cubicle (NES)

Here's something strange - An Irem game that isn't a shooter, but a puzzle game! Kickle Cubicle is quite similar to Adventures of Lolo. You play as Kickle, who has to save his homeland, the Fantasy Kingdom, after it is completely frozen over by the Wicked Wizard King. To accomplish this he has to collect all the dream bags scattered across four worlds with a number of levels each. Kickle is armed with frost breath, which he can use to freeze enemies, subsequently kicking them into water to act as stepping stones in order to reach the dream bags which are out of reach.

The Lost Vikings (SNES)

The comparison to Adventures of Lolo is really not unfounded, as it shares a lot of similar gameplay elements, such as having to collect X items in each stage, freezing enemies and potentially using them as platforms, and using other items every now and then. Also like Lolo, there is a password system so you can (re)start where you want.

As the game takes place across a variety of locations, you will see some different places later on. There's also a number of cutscenes in the game, one after every world plus an intro and ending. Each world also has a boss to defeat after you clear the normal stages before it. The game starts out easy, but it can get pretty hard later!

8. Bust-A-Move/Puzzle Bobble (Neo Geo, SNES)

Bust-A-Move (Or Puzzle Bobble as it is known in Japan) is rather strange - While it was meant as nothing more than a spin-off puzzle game of Bubble Bobble, it became so popular that it's now arguably more popular than the series it's based off of! Chances are you've played this game before sometime.

Kickle Cubicle (NES)

There's a number of coloured bubbles hanging from the ceiling. Bub and Bob (The dragons from Bubble Bobble) are operating a machine below, which shoots out more bubbles in order to destroy all those on the ceiling (You can freely aim in any direction with it).

The trick to scoring high in the game is to not destroy the bubbles - You'll get more points if you drop them off the screen. To accomplish this, you have to destroy bubbles which "link" one group of bubbles to another, causing them to drop down because they're no longer attached to anything. While the Neo Geo version of the game is arcade perfect, if it will be released on VC, we imagine it'll be the SNES version.

7. Troddlers (SNES)

Troddlers is basically Lemmings. The only difference is that the Troddlers (The creatures which take the place of the Lemmings) have some aid in the form of a character the player can control - He can walk around the stage, placing blocks and eliminating any potential danger in order to guide the Troddlers to the exit. The Troddlers have the extra benefit of being able to walk on walls and ceilings, which makes it easier for them to get around (And also easier to walk into a trap!).

Bust-A-Move (Neo Geo)

Later on you'll find more blocks, such as ones which reverse the Troddlers' direction, ones which deflects cannonball fire, and ones which the Troddlers can go through, but you can't. You can also find bombs, which will blow up surrounding blocks, if a Troddler sacrifices himself to do so.

You'll also get more objectives later - Such as collecting gems scattered around the stage, or killing all "Zombie Troddlers" before they can kill your normal ones. There is also a two-player mode where you can attempt to beat each stage together. The original SNES release supported the SNES mouse (Removing your character and only leaving a cursor behind, meaning the platforming element disappeared completely), but we don't think it would keep this feature if it was released on VC. Accompanying the addictive gameplay is a rather brilliant soundtrack, which has some songs that take full use of the SNES's sound quality.

Troddlers (SNES)

6. Boulder Dash (C64, NES)

If you owned a Commodore 64 there's no doubt you'll know this classic - You play as Rockford the miner, who has to dig his way through a maze of dirt in order to collect enough diamonds to leave. Of course it's not that easy, as aside from enemies which will attempt to kill you, there are boulders hidden in the dirt, which can be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how they're used. Once you dig right underneath one of them, you better make haste and get out of there, as in a moment it'll drop down and squash anything underneath (Including you and any enemies!).

One of the reasons Boulder Dash was so popular was that it was so simple - Every level has its own starting layout. You know what that means - It was easy to create programs to edit levels to your own liking. Custom level creation in Boulder Dash became extremely popular, to the point where the creator actually released an official editor. The NES version of the original game features some rather nice upgraded cartoony visuals, together with different worlds and, of course, music. We think the NES version is more likely for a VC release.

Boulder Dash (NES)

5. Equinox (SNES)

Equinox is the sequel to the isometric NES game Solstice. You played the wizard Shadax, who had to solve puzzles to find pieces of a staff. While the game was fun, the lack of a full map (It only shows a small portion) hurt it quite a bit! in Equinox, you play as Shadax's son Glendaal - There is now an overworld which you can freely move around on, with entrances to 8 dungeons. In each of these dungeons, your task is to collect 12 orbs which will then resurrect a boss for you to kill. Obviously, once this is done, you have to defeat them all.

In each dungeon you'll find a new spell (Such as Heal, Slow and Freeze) and a new weapon (Such as a knife, shuriken or mace) to assist your dungeon adventures. The game itself is basically the same as Solstice, except for the seperate levels, which are relatively small and linear, meaning you need no map. The only notable problem is that Glendaal is quite slow, so if you want to get into the game you're going to need some degree of patience!

Equinox (SNES)

4. Sutte Hakkun (SNES)

This is the game on this list which will probably confuse most people - Sutte Hakkun is a Nintendo-developed game which was unfortunately released only in Japan. It started out as a downloadable game on the SNES Satellaview-X add-on, but was eventually released on a cartridge due to the success it enjoyed. You take control of Hakkun, who is a blob of jelly (Suspiciously resembling a kiwi bird) with a long nose.

Using this nose he can suck up blocks and paint - Injecting blocks with paint will cause them to move around (In different ways depending on the colour). Using this, your objective is to cleverly use the blocks and paint in order to collect all crystals located in every stage. Eventually you will also encounter also characters, who can assist you in doing things. Aside from regular stages, there is also a mini-game at the end of each world. There are over 100 levels to clear, so the game will certainly last a while. It's simple and addictive - That's all that matters, really!

Sutte Hakkun (SNES)

3. Lemmings (C64, Mega Drive, NES, SNES, Turbo-CD)

Is there anybody who doesn't know Lemmings? Your objective in the game is to guide a group of suicidal creatures known as Lemmings towards the exit of each stage, while avoiding any dangers such as squishing devices, water, and other traps. Just walking around won't do, so you have the ability to give individual Lemmings temporary skills, such as digging, bridge building, stopping other Lemmings, carrying a parachute when falling, or even exploding!

The trick is that you only have limited use of each skill (And in most levels you'll only have one or two skills), so you have to make very clever use of the skills that you have in order to reach the exit. You don't have to get every Lemming over there, but there is a minimum amount that has to reach the exit before you fail. A notable feature which contributed to the game's popularity is the use of various pieces of classical music (And you have to admit, playing classical music while cartoony creatures are dying is always a winning combination). Of the versions eligible for VC, the Mega Drive version is arguably the best, as it has 180 levels, compared to 100-125 in the other ones. However, the SNES version obviously has the best graphics and music, making it arguably the version that gives the best "experience".

Lemmings (Mega Drive)

2. Tetris Attack (SNES)

Tetris Attack is still one of Nintendo's strangest games. Panel de Pon, a Japanese puzzle game for the SNES, was apparently deemed too strange for European and American standards, causing Nintendo to completely overhaul the game - They replaced all fairies and other cute characters with... Yoshi characters! This means the game is sort of a continuation of Super Mario World 2. The objective of the game is similar to Tetris, Dr. Mario, and other falling block puzzlers, except this time, it's more of a "rising block puzzler".

A number of blocks will rise up from the bottom of the screen in both players' fields, and you must swap them around (You can only swap blocks next to each other, not above/below) in order to create lines of 3 or more of the same type to eliminate them.Stringing together combos will drop giant garbage blocks in your opponent's field, which will break apart into smaller blocks if they happen to be next to other blocks you make disappear. Like most similar games, you will win if the opponent's blocks go off the top of the screen. Aside from a normal versus mode, there's a story mode, endless mode, and a puzzle mode. Panel de Pon was already released on Japan's Virtual Console last year, so we personally imagine it's only a matter of time until we get Tetris Attack (Or at least, the game originally called Tetris Attack, as there are apparently issues with the Tetris name, meaning a name change might be required!).

Tetris Attack (SNES)

1. The Lost Vikings (Mega Drive, SNES)

This should come as no surprise if you're familiar with this game. The Lost Vikings is a platformer/puzzle hybrid (Hence why it was also on the Top 10 Platformers list last year!) created by the company now known as Blizzard (Famous for Warcraft and Starcraft), featuring, as the title implies, lost vikings!

The three vikings, Baleog, Erik and Olaf, are enjoying a peaceful viking life, until one night, when they're kidnapped by a galactic conqueror known as Tomator. After escaping his spaceship, they are sent through dimensional rifts, making them appear not just in timezones like prehistory and the Egyptian period, but also in strange locations like a factory and candy land! Each world features about 8 levels full of both platforming and puzzling.

The unique thing about The Lost Vikings is that you've got three characters at your disposal. Baleog is a warrior, and can use his sword and bow to dispatch enemies or hit far-away switches, Olaf has a shield with which he can float (Don't ask!) or block enemy attacks, and Erik is the only one who can run, jump and headbutt (To attack enemies or break down walls). Obviously they're not invincible (Despite being vikings), and three hits will kill any viking, forcing you to restart the level. The game doesn't go too light on the gruesome one-hit kills either, as you can indeed end up with vikings impaled on spikes or electrified to death. You can only control one viking at a time, but you can freely switch between them any time you want.

Beating the game requires excellent combining of each of the vikings' skills, such as, for example, making Olaf hold his shield above him in order to provide a higher platform for Erik to jump off of, or Olaf blocking enemies while Baleog takes them out from a distance. It's this unique aspect which makes the game extremely fun to play. The vikings' skills alone won't be alone to beat each stage though, as quickly enough you will have to also pick up and use items such as keys or batteries in order to open doors. Each vikings can carry four items, but if they're close to each other, they can give each other items as well (For example, maybe only Erik can reach a certain keyhole, so he would need the key!). The levels start out small, but eventually they'll get pretty big and will take multiple tries to beat.

Which version of the game is better is arguable - The SNES version obviously has better graphics and sound, but the Mega Drive version has one additional song (Strangely) and about 5 extra levels. Accompanying the excellent gameplay is some incredibly infectious music, which you will be humming for a long time once you're done playing.

The game was, thankfully, followed up with a sequel, called Norse by Norsewest: The Return of the Lost Vikings, also on SNES (But not Mega Drive), which added two characters (Fang and Scorch, a werewolf and dragon) and sent the vikings off to new locations. As four Interplay-published games are already coming to VC, and The Lost Vikings was originally published by Interplay as well, the situation for it and its sequel is looking relatively good. Let's hope Blizzard supports VC!

Man, I wish Nintendo would buy the Lemmings rights from Sony, they barely use it! The only things they've done with it was some lame Eye Toy thing and a PSP version.....that's it. I don't have an Eye Toy and don't have a PSP so it looks like I'm out of luck. I miss Psygnosis (that's how you spell it, right?)

It really boils my blood when Nintendo refuses to pay the damned royalties for ANY licensed game, no matter how good. I can understand if the OWNERS of Tetris or Lemmings refuse to sell their rights (if that is the case), but when NINTENDO is too stingy to pay for the rights, it really justifies a swift punch in the face.

Drake, you the man! Sutte Hakkun is outstanding and there has never been a puzzle game like The Lost Vikings. I keep hoping Blizzard will make a brand new Lost Vikings game so I can stop playing these first two games over and over again.

Exactly, and PPL was also a lot better on the gameplay front too. But there's obviously some people who want to avoid it because they hate the franchise, so there we go.

I too would like to play a Lemmings title on the VC, but since Sony now owns the franchise there's no hope in hell of receiving it. Puzzle Bobble's Neo-Geo incarnation will be sweet though - one of the most addicting puzzlers I ever came across in the arcades back in the day, and to see it on the VC would be a real benefit to my collection

I still don't understand why people tend to support Wrecking Crew so much though. It's nothing against Mario or anything, but the original NES title felt broken in terms of its gameplay aspects - I appreciate difficulty here and now, but that was just crossing the line as far as I know. Did the '98 incarnation have any form of improvement over this issue?

Since nobody has mentioned it, Equinox also doesn't have a chance on the VC because Sony published it.Still, some I'd like to see are:Quarth (many platforms, but I think NES (import) is the only one with a chance). Shoot blocks to turn the Tetris-like blocks into squares/rectangles.DeBlock (NES import): 4-sided Tetris. Make square-shaped "rings" to clear them.Magical Drop (SNES import, NeoGeo?): Pull blocks off the stack and shoot them back to form chains.Blockout (Genesis): Overhead-view Tetris.

I still hope to see the NES Tetris and Dr. Mario on the VC. Also how about Qix. I am not sure if it ever made it to a home console though. But I think it was on GameboyNever played Boulder Dash but I heard good things about it.

We'd most likely get the NES port of Qix if it ever comes at any rate, or if Nintendo doesn't want to bother with its own systems, us European folk would just have the Commodore 64 version thrown at us. I bloody well hope not though

I only played Bust-A-Move on online flash games yet, but although I can play it for free everywhere I would still pay for it to have it on my Wii And I don't like Bust-A-Moves Touch controls. Wrecking Crew '98 would be a nice import title.About Tetris Attack: I have Pokémon Puzzle League, Pokémon Puzzle Challenge and Nintendo Puzzle Collection, I like the game but not as much to buy another redundant one, bring the Yoshi characters enough twist into the game to make it worth a download?

Tetris Attack only offers a difference in a cosmetic sense. From what I've seen, it bears a closer similarity to Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, give or take the theme differences and the lack of a "Garbage Mode" in the former. Timeless as it would also be, the formula has been improved a lot over the years and so it's pretty much made the original title a redundant one.

Concerning Bomberman, it's not exactly a puzzler in the traditional sense - more like a maze-based strategy title if anything. Even so, don't we already have Bomberman '93? Or is there something more specific that you want to see?

Great list! I agree completely on every game on it, at least on the ones I know about. My sister would be estatic if Bust a Move appeared on the service.

Though I don't understand how TA made it to the list. Sure, many people are nostalgic for it, but you can get Pokemon Puzzle League right now for only 200 points extra, which is basically the same game but with more modes and a new skin.

Also, I have 5 games I think would be good runners-up. They are, in no particular order:

"Lemmings had better music on the Snes" I disagree with that. The MegaDrive version wins in that department imo. I would LOVE that game to be on VC, Ive never completed it to this day, I sucked at the Mayhem levels.

JRAPOCALYSE, I got a lot of 'splaining to do for you. We got 3 iterations of Puyo Puyo already on VC (puyo puyo 2, Mean Bean Machine, and Kirby's Avalanche, if you must know.) and we have Dr. M on wiiware. Wario's woods appeared on both nes and snes (trust me I know. I see the snes game pretty often at my local trading store. It's not exactly rare.) Bust-A-Move is great, and Lemming IS a puzzle game. Sorta.

@vc-reviews: are games like loderunner (games that can never come out due to microsoft/sony rights, or Rare games etc) considered for these lists?Just curious if lode runner was considered, or has just been forgotten by everyone, or if im the only weirdo who liked it (or if its even a puzzler - i felt it was)

Didn't think that you guys would put Satellaview games like Wrecking Crew 98 on here. As for the original game, i agree that they'd probably take that out, or have 2 versions of the game available, keep the original Wrecking Crew in one and an extra charge alongside the import charge, though I'd doubt people would pay like 1200-1400 points for it. Knowing Nintendo, they'd also have an extra charge due to it originally being a Satellaview, so that would make the total like 1500-1600 and that's absurd but that's enough of my rambling.

@Mario, comment #37: I can see that you're trying to make a point, but what makes your choice of examples so different than Tetris Attack is that they have completely different level designs, which basically affects how you would get from one end of the stage to the other, or (in the terms of F-Zero and SMK) navigate a multiple-lap circuit. They at least have had the priviledge of altered level designs and/or additional game mechanics in the past, and that's what distinguishes one from the other, thus making them much more likely to be picked up on by gaming enthusiasts.

Puzzle games are more fickle in this aspect - the design is revolved around the formula in question, and even in that sense there's rarely a distinct way to clear a puzzle stage; they require people to think quickly over how they should survive it. So it's safe to say that on a gameplay aspect, sequels to puzzle games are almost exactly the same as their predecessors. And given that Pokemon Puzzle League was just Tetris Attack with new gameplay mode additions, I can see where Adamant is coming from.

Equinox brings back memories, very intense game. The dungeon music was pretty creepy, the map music was mysterious. But I agree with others, Solstice should also be on the VC schedule. Great game, that was... hears the high pitch whine as character meets his doom on spikes

Good to know what Wrecking Crew ´98 is about! I love the original Wrecking Crew, and this looks interesting too. But now I don´t expect a similar experience.

The best puzzler ever is Konamis Quarth. It´s a fantastic little puzzle game with shooter mecanics, great music and both co-op and versus. The NES/Famicom version is very good, but I like the MSX version even better. That game would be a blast on famicom.

Im glad to see lost vikings on there, i was reading down the list and i thought "they cant of forgotten one of the best puzzlers of the 90's surely?" but there it is at the top, well done fella. if i could just add one myself tho, id love to see tetris worlds on there. (i think its that one, were you play tetris on a sphere and you have to spin it around to place the shapes)

And Mr. Cheez i got some for you! i do have a wii and believe me i know what is on the vc,i was being a smart a** because i could. I stated those games because of the fact that they were on the vc and i could ramble off some games that were on the service to be funny! (never jump to conclude something you dont know the purpose of)

I really liked Tetris Attack, and though I still own it, I wouldn't mind seeing it released on the VC. But I don't see that happening, seeing how Pokémon Puzzle League, already on VC, is basically Tetris Attack but with pokémon instead of Yoshi, and I've yet to see Nintendo release duplicates of the same game on VC yet. (Unless I missed something.) Personally, I like Yoshi better.

And Wrecking Crew '98? I'm surprised to see that one on the list. I've watched videos, and I must've not watched the right videos, 'cause it didn't seem that interesting. Plus it's way different than the original, which I love and would recommend to any hardcore gamer who wants a challenging puzzler where a single mistake could spell doom. (No, seriously, I like the challenge.)

One thing I'd have in my own list is Tetrisphere on the N64. I must've played that more than any other Tetris game. One of those games I got for Christmas but didn't ask for, yet still enjoyed a whole lot. But for all I know, I'm probably in the minority. Would be nice, though. I no longer own the original, so it'd be an easy choice for me if it appeared on the VC.

@donx, comment #71: Valid point concerning Puyo Puyo, but considering that Sega fully owns the franchise now, it's no question that the three "variants" of Puyo Puyo 2 were released out of haste and out of preference for those in favor of whatever separate franchise represented they would prefer (Sonic's enemy roster for the SEGA passionists, Kirby for Nintendo and Arle and co for the purists). Tetris Attack is fickle though - since Nintendo own the rights to Puzzle League, Pokemon and Yoshi, they're probably a company to think "just one release is enough", or something - the likelihood of them releasing Tetris Attack would only really heighten if they do release an identical port of another game they published, Mario All-Stars for example.

Then you're in dangerous territory. If your age spreads, there's a high chance of you being blocked until you're 13 (the proper age to use an Internet site).

To put it in simplistic terms, Sega owns the rights to Puyo Puyo. They didn't own the rights back in the day, so when the game came to other nations and other systems, a wider range of franchises were needed to attract everyone. Nintendo owns the rights to Puzzle League and with their focus on Yoshi and Pokemon respectively for their first two titles, they're most likely wanting to settle for the stronger release of the two unless they release any of their own remakes on the VC.